PM reaches capital city, to flag off Vande Bharat soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the capital city. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mayor Arya Rajendran, Shashi Tharoor MP, Minister Antony Raju and chief secretary V P Joy received the Prime Minister at the airport. Modi will soon flag off the Vande Bharat train.

The Prime Minister will interact with the students on the train. A few students who have proved their ability in various fields have been selected for this. Modi will also talk to the loco pilots. The first journey of the train will be attended by religious, socio-political leaders and celebrities. 1000 students will take free journey from various stations.

The Prime Minister will reach the Central Stadium after flagging off Vande Bharat. The Kochi Water Metro and the fully electrified Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section railway will be dedicated to the nation. The foundation stone for Digital University's Digital Science Park, development of Thiruvananthapuram rail sector centered around Kochuveli, Thiruvananthapuram and Nemam railway stations, project to upgrade Thiruvananthapuram Central, Varkala Sivagiri and Kozhikode railway stations to international standards, and project to increase the speed of trains in Thiruvananthapuram-Shornur section to 110 kmph will also be laid. The Prime Minister will leave for Dadranagar Haveli in Union Territory at 12.40 pm.

Meantime, a tight security has been put in place for the prime minister in the capital in the wake of assassination threats and leaks of intelligence's security scheme. The security plan was prepared jointly by the Special Protection Force (SPG) and the Central Intelligence Bureau (IB). Arrangements are under the direction of SPG IG Suresh Raj Purohit. Under the leadership of City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju, more than two thousand cops have been deployed for security. Top IB officials are also in the capital city.